Find a good guild. Lotro is a PvE game that really relies on playing in a group to do stuff. Together the game is a lot of fun in a slightly more relaxed way then WoW. Although raid gear is nice it ain't all that essential and so the attempts to get it tend to be more relaxed.

I am currently giving the game a break, got life, until the expansion is out. Play the game slowly, enjoy it and group whenever possible and make friends.

Trust me, if you solo this game most of the way you will be missing out on a lot of what makes the game fun. This game ain't for grinders, gear junkies or min-maxers.

It is a social MMORPG. There is also plenty of end content by now but you might miss it unless others introduce you to it because it is not as clear as in WoW.